YouTube writing videos offer a wealth of information. During the Corona virus quarantine, I explored a number of videos in topics ranging from art to writing. The following are some of my YouTube writing video recommendations:
Brandon Sanderson
New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson writes fantasy and science fiction. His series of 2020 lectures at Brigham Young University includes ten videos, each over one hour in length. He presented the lectures for the Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy course.
Topics covered include:
- Introduction
- Plot, Part 1
- Plot, Part 2
- Viewpoint and Q&A
- Worldbuilding, Part 1
- Worldbuilding, Part 2
- Short Stories, Guest Speaker
- Worldbuilding Q&A
- Characters, Part 1
- Characters, Part 2
Other Brandon Sanderson videos exist on YouTube and cover a variety of other writing topics. He says, “Writing books is like being a stage magician.” Let the magic begin!
Alexa Donne
Alexa Donne writes Young Adult (YA) science fiction and fantasy novels. She hosts over 380 YouTube videos on a wide range of writing topics. She produces a new video every few days.
I first encountered Alexa through the Author Mentor Match (AMM). She was a presenter during WriteOnCon 2020. As a result of those two encounters, I explored some of her YouTube videos and subscribed to her YouTube account.
Her videos address many elements of the writing craft and publishing/marketing. Her upbeat and energized talks are informative and fun. Length varies based on the topic. For instance, her video on How to Write a Book Synopsis is 12 minutes long.
SCBWI
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) recently opened its video vault and has posted many presentations by authors and illustrators of children’s books. Some videos are short excerpts from longer conference presentations.
Newbery Medal winner Meg Medina’s video talks about the Rhythm of Life. The 4-minute video’s message encourages writers to keep their internal rhythm/beat that’s sacred. Authors need to have a sense of purpose.
YouTube Writing Videos
This time of self-isolation gave me time to explore YouTube writing videos. I found many that interested me. Your writing interests may be different from mine, so go find some informative videos about a genre that you enjoy. We get better by continued to learn more about our craft.